Road safety to be fast-tracked

PUBLISHED: 18:03 27 August 2008 | UPDATED: 21:34 31 May 2010

SAFETY measures aimed at reducing the death toll on a notorious stretch of road have been fast-tracked by council chiefs. Following a devastating car crash near Linton on the A1307 which killed a father and his two sons, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC

SAFETY measures aimed at reducing the death toll on a notorious stretch of road have been fast-tracked by council chiefs.

Following a devastating car crash near Linton on the A1307 which killed a father and his two sons, Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) have reaffirmed its commitment to improving the road.

David Bocking, 43, and his children Daniel, 14, and Stephen, 13, were killed in a head-on crash on Saturday July 19 - bringing the number of fatalities on the road up to six this year.

The council's cabinet member for growth and infrastructure Cllr Matt Bradney said that finding a solution to accidents on the A1307 remained one of his "top priorities".

The commitment was made at a meeting in Shire Hall, Cambridge, earlier this month where councillors, traffic engineers and police discussed how best they should address the road's accident problem.

"The county council has already spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on safety improvements on this route but a major difficulty is that there is no single cause of the accidents and no single location," said Cllr Bradney.

"Last month I announced a package of further improvements the county council will undertake including fast-tracking a review of speed limits along the road, a new safety camera and a series of warning signs that tell motorists to take extra care along the road. These will be in place next month.

"We are also waiting to start work on a junction improvement at Cardinals Green where two teenagers died in separate accidents."

Safety measures that the council are considering include dropping the speed limit on the single carriageway section at Linton from 40mph to 30mph. Engineering measures would be installed to ensure people comply with the lower limit.

The 60mph single carriageway section that leads from Linton to the dual carriageway towards Horseheath could be made a 50mph zone.

Signs will be placed at either end of the Cambridge to Haverhill road warning drivers that it is a "High casualty route". Signs will also be placed at intervals reminding motorists to "Drive with care" and that "High speed collisions kill".